That thing you’re doing for God, it feels hard.
You show up. You work hard. You are trusting, and trying your best to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. But there are so many obstacles. You know you’re supposed to keep going, but the temptation is to give up.
Maybe that’s you today. Whether it’s ministry or marriage or loving that person who is difficult, being in the trenches is hard. I’ve been there.
So, what do we do when we are in that place?
Check in with God
Check in with God often. That’s where we find assurance. Especially when things are hard. Especially when people let you down. Especially when it’s not as “successful” as you thought it should be.
If God is in it, then you are exactly where you need to be (Acts 5:39).
Don’t mistake hardship with failure
Just because it’s hard, doesn’t mean you failed. Sometimes hard comes with it. In fact, most of the time hard comes with it. If we follow Christ, then we march into the hard places because that’s where the miracles occur. Maybe it’s a miracle everyone can see. Maybe it’s a miracle that completely changes you from the inside out.
Either way, it’s still a miracle.
[bctt tweet=”Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you failed. #livingfreetogether #SpiritLedHeart https://wp.me/p4jbdw-4C3″ username=”suzanneeller”]
Find the good
The other day I was driving, and felt discouraged. As I wove through traffic, those thoughts weighed heavy. So I started listing the good. All of it. Out loud. Yes, there were challenges with what I was doing, but there was good woven throughout all of it.
As I listed the good, truth settled in my soul. The good was there all along. I just needed to remind myself of it.
Feed your faith
There are a ton of things that feed our fears. What if we fed our faith instead?
That might be gathering with really good friends who love Jesus like crazy. It might be reading a great book that teaches and inspires. It might be journaling, with your Bible open, soaking in the Word.
Maybe you are the one who is always nurturing others in their faith. Can I tell you something? Those of us who do that also need nurturing. That’s something I’ve only appreciated in the last few years. I wish I had known how valuable this was sooner.
Hang in there
You are a difference maker. You show up. You’re listening to God.
Do you realize how delighted he is with you because of that?
He’s not measuring this by your standards, or that of anyone else. He’s looking at your faithfulness and your desire to follow his leading, and he sees the eternal impact of that obedience. So hang in there, sweet friend. Let us know if you need prayer and I promise we’ll (me and my team) will pray for you.
I’m cheering you on today. You’re stronger than you know. You’re braver than you realize. You’re making more of a difference than you can see.
Suzie
Related resource
These are faith-builders that offer practical help and encouragement.
The Spirit-Led Heart: Living and Loving Your Faith Without Borders
Come With Me Devotional: A Year-Long Adventure of Following Jesus
Come With Me: Discovering the Beauty of Following Jesus
These are faith-builders that offer practical help and encouragement.
I have a friend whose husband is a minister – she has found out that he has had multiple affairs, now tells her than he doesn’t love her and never has – she has 3 children 2 of which have mental health issues… she has to move out of her home and start again, whilst he carries on living in the house provided by the job … he isn’t being honest explaining the separation as due to them growing apart – please pray for my friend and her girls and that I may be able to support her with the help of the Holy Spirit, listening to his promptings – to know what to say and when to say it …. can’t wait to receive my copy of your book …
Thank you Susie for your teachings and words of wisdom
Caroline, What a hard, hard, time for your friend and her children. She is very blessed to have you walking beside her and that you desire to be led by the Holy Spirit as you help her.
Lord, I lift Caroline, her friend and her friend’s children up to you for first provisions, her friend is starting fresh, she needs not only spiritual support but everything needed to live. Blese her with all her needs, show yourself to her. Lord, let her heart not grow bitter towards you because of her husband’s, a minister, sin. Shine your light so brightly on her that she knows beyond any doubt that you see her, hear her cries and love her deeply. Lord, guide Caroline’s. words and steps as she ministers to her friend and the children, Holy Spirit, she is asking that you guide her and I know you will. I thank you Lord that Caroline is pushing in to help her friend rather than walking away as many do in this situation. Bless her and shine your light on her lath. I also feel led, Lord, to pray for this woman’s husband, he is a minister and lost in sins of the flesh. Open his eyes Lord and bring him to a place of complete repentance and lead him back on the path of righteousness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen
Hey this is such a timely word for me. Thank you so much.
I’ve been doing something that I felt God call me into for 10 years now and I guess I’m realising how much I’ve given out to needy, vulnerable and broken people. But right now I feel broken. I feel lost and alone and empty. I’m trying to pour out my heart to God. Would really appreciate your prayers . Thank you. Love and blessings x
Oh, Jane, I am sorry you are feeling this way, but I understand. Thank you for asking for prayer. We hear your plea, and you are not walking alone sweet friend.
Lord, you died for the broken ones. You cry for the ones who are suffering. You understand lost and empty feelings. You walked in those paths here on earth, too. I pray for your hand of compassion and love for Jane. Help her feel you today. She pours out and loves on others who are broken, and now she is tired. Refresh her with your love. Remind her she is yours. Help her be still and know you are her God. Amen.
What a great devotional at just the right time. I am walking through a very hard season with my daughter. It is exhausting and scary and sometimes I feel afraid and almost despondent. Please pray for us, that I would continue to follow these steps you have outlined here and cling to God through this trial. I keep thinking of the toothpaste analogy: when life squeezes us, what we are made of Somme’s out, and I want that to be Jesus and my faith in Him.
Lisa
Lisa, I understand your mama’s heart. When my daughter was a teen, and into her young adult years it was a struggle. I was on my knees, many days, crying out to God. It was a long, scary and uncertain path with my daughter due to her choices; however, today she is courageous and beautiful and seeking God. She is finding her way. God loves your daughter deeply. He created her and sees her.
Jesus, thank you for loving us so much you died on the cross. Your tender mercies and grace are for everyone. Thank you for loving the easy, the hard, the ones who stray and the ones who push you away. Your love is big and wide and reaches all. I pray for Lisa as she is in the trenches praying for her beautiful daughter. Place wisdom in her words and peace of your presence in her heart. Help Lisa place her daughter each day at the foot of the cross. Thank you for meeting us here today. We love you so. Amen.
Lisa, I pray a verse for my kids each day. It is Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Financial battles have consumed my life. Living paycheck to paycheck. I’m growing so weary. Praying for god’s strength and wisdom to trust in Him. He has always provided! I need to remember that and keep listening to the Holy Spirit for guidance and peace. Praying for all the concerns mentioned here.
Sarah, I have walked in the shoes of financial battles. I understand how consuming it is. It is hard, scary and you do grow tired. I am sorry. I am so happy you are here with us today and asking for prayer. We see you, Sarah.
Father, I am stepping in the gap for our friend, Sarah. Her struggles are real and hard. You know this precious daughter. You understand her emotions of weariness and consumption. Help her see and feel you today. Please remind her she is not alone, because you are always present in our lives. We thank you for your strength and wisdom that guides our paths of life. We ask you to shine your path brightly so Sarah can walk on it. Thank you for your deep, intimate love. We thank you for Sarah and her desire to live in your way. We lift this all into your hands. Amen
After a few years of our family going through a rough ‘season’, God is redeeming 🙌
Next week we’re(my Mom,adult daughter,&I)planning a few days together…I’m excited but really nervous!
Prayer appreciated
Rose Ann, How wonderful to be able to step away with loved ones and refresh. I am praying that God blesses your time together and there will be unity and peace during this trip. Lord, I ask that you calm any fears or nervousness that Rose Ann, her daughter or mom might have. Let them see only the good in each other and put blinders on their eyes with anything that would cause friction. I thank you, Lord, that their hard season is over and you are blessing their relationships. I praise you, Lord, In Jesus name, Amen
Seems my life has been a mess for 12+ years. Financially, relationships, and being a good mom. I keep stepping out in faith thinking I am hearing God correctly and end up brokenhearted. I was married for 17 years and my older boys knew what it was like to have a dad. When our youngest son was 5 he walked out. Our older boys were almost grown but our youngest was left desiring a dad so badly. Being a single parent living pay check to paycheck is so difficult it is a daily struggle to make ends meet. I will finish my MBA in 2 weeks and I am praying that God will help me find a good paying job so I can take care of my son the way he deserves. I am also praying for promise God put in my 💓 heart and that is to be married again. To be a family. I thought I was so close and last year he changed his mind leaving not only me but my son brokenhearted he thought he finally found a dad. Please pray for us. AJ is very sad full of anxiety and has even considered hurting himself. He is counseling and really could use some prayers. Thank you
Lord, I celebrate this strong, single mama who is fighting so hard for her children. I pray that you wrap around her today and show her that she is not alone. Fill the gaps that she feels so intensely. Lord, I pray that the desire of her heart be met, in your timing and with a partner that loves you and will love her and the boys with kindness. I pray for AJ, that this little man will be protected and nurtured, that you will fight for him and hold him close. In Jesus’ name.
I’m in a season where I feel like I am carrying a lot of, “secrets”. People who are close to me are suffering and it is not my place to tell the whole story. My heart is heavy and while I can at times see God clearly and the enemy clearly, I feel alone and afraid. I know God is in it, but my humanness also knows that just because God is in it, doesn’t mean our hearts can’t be split wide open. I find myself surrendering and taking back, over and over…scared I am going not doing the right thing or I am missing something, and because of that there will be a horrible tragedy. I normally live my life wide open and share my hardships and God stories openly. The spirit continues to tell me to keep it close to my heart. It’s very hard because I feel like I am pushing away my close friends and I can’t tell them why. I take comfort knowing that God is ALWAYS working behind the scenes, but it is hard for me to disappoint, or feel like I am disappointing others. I know this sounds like a rambling mess. Thank you in advance for prayers.
Lord, we lift up “K.” We are never alone. There is nothing hidden from you. This burden isn’t totally on her shoulders. She is not responsible for carrying it alone. If there is something she should do, lead her. If there are things that need to be brought to light, show her how to do that wisely. Father, today I pray for rest over her heart and thoughts, in Jesus’ name.
Dear K. It sounds like you are carrying around the weight of the world and all alone in the battle. I know how draining that can be in your faith because I have been there. Look around you to the ladies that you would go to for help. Can you go to them? You are going for you, not the secrets you are holding. but you can share that because of the secrets that must remain confidential. But that doesn’t mean you must be distant from friends. Ask for prayer for you and ask for our Helper to give you the things you need. Holy Spirit, K feels alone with no one she can turn to. Help her find someone who can mentor her through this time. Help her find the tools to keep her faith strong. and as she refuses so she can help others help her eyes see and her ears hear what is being missed that will help everyone. I pray in the name of Jesus, Amen
Lord as I read all these requests I imagined You in the Garden of Gethsemane and how you carried the weight of the worlds sin and yet you willing took all of it because of Your love for Your father and Your love for me. God my heart has been moved with such compassion for all these cares. For in some of these cares I’m right there with them. Father You know each of our hearts, Lord I ask that you move in each of our situations with mercy, grace and meet us with what You know will increase our love for You and our love for others. God you know what’s best for each of us and only You know our futures and what they hold. Help us to trust You even when we cannot see. Cause our hearts to seek You even when we don’t feel like seeking. Put desires in us to draw closer to You even when we might possibly be angry with You. Give us wisdom for each care, truth for every lie we believe and faith to trust whatever you’ve allowed will be turned around for our good. This world is not our home so help us navigate it through the power of the Holy Spirit that You Father left for us, to be our helper, our counselor, our comforter, and our guide. Cause our hearts to be so attuned to Your Holy Spirit that even in the midst of it all we can rest. We can have peace. We can have joy! And I pray all this in the name that was given to us to pray! The name that every knee will bow and every tongue confess. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!
That sounds a little like me today, I have stop trying so hard and let Him work things out. he makes things beautiful in His time.
Yes Sharon,
This is totally ME today! I’m feeling overwhelmed! Please pray for me! I am in the separated state in my marriage (1 year 5 mothss). I love my husband and desire restoration; yet he is living a sinful life of adultery, alcohol and drug abuse. It has been challenging trying to “hang in there”, however, I’m sensing the need to make a decision soon concerning my marriage.
Please pray for my friend, Wendy. She has been praying for over two years for her marriage to be restored. Her husband walked away from her and the Lord. He has sought a divorce, but she has held hope that he will return. There are signs that God is working on his heart. Please pray for her hope to strengthen as she seeks God’s strength to persevere and not give up. And pray that God will continue to work on her husband’s heart to return to his family and to the Lord. Thank you, Suzie!